Open the bag with the somersaulting chef and nibble on crunchy snacks made with healthy sunflower seeds, in five sweet and savory flavors. Trade in the chocolate chip cookie for Dutch Cocoa Somersaults, above—terrific with coffee. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky | THE NIBBLE.

WHAT IT IS: Snacks in five flavors—sweet and savory—made with healthy sunflower seeds.

WHY IT’S DIFFERENT: It combines the healthiness of sunflower seeds with a crunchy cookie or biscuit format.

WHY WE LOVE IT: We love crunch and cookies, and these are good for you! The line is certified kosher (dairy) by OU.

Somersault Snacks: Healthy Bites With Sunflower Seeds

It’s Healthy Food Month At THE NIBBLE

A somersault is an acrobatic exercise in which a person performs a full 360° flip, moving feet over head. While munching on a bag of Somersault’s sunflower-based snacks won’t give you the skill to do one, the idea is that you’ll be so energized, you’ll want to try it. (To help, the nutritious sunflower seeds may indeed give you an energy burst.)

Somersault Snacks were born of a quest to create healthy, tasty snacks with high nutritional impact. The miniature-cookie-size crunchy snacks are also fun to nibble. They’re nut-free and certified kosher.

In portable individual portion sizes as well as larger bags, we nominate Somersaults as delicious and good-for-you snacks that will appeal to just about everyone. While they were created as an energy food for active adults, the flavors and packaging are equally attractive to kids.

The package design is equally energetic, with a gymnastic chef, cowboy, pirate, sailor or surfer decorating the different flavors. The exuberant illustrations deserve a shout-out. Hopefully, they’ll become tee shirts one of these days.

A sailor does a handstand on the bag of Pacific Sea Salt Somersaults.

Why It’s So Good For You: Nuts Vs. Seeds

If you look at basic nutrition, sunflower seeds compare favorably with almonds and other nuts often recommended by nutritionists:

In 2003, the FDA approved a claim for seven types of nuts, that “Scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.”

Per the FDA, "Types of nuts eligible for this claim are restricted to almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachio nuts and walnuts.” These nuts were specifically included in the health claim because they do not exceed 4 g of saturated fat per 50 g of nuts.

In addition to nuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds may offer the same heart health benefits.

Sunflower Seeds’ Nutrition Benefits
Sunflower seeds have:

50% more protein than many popular nuts, including almonds, cashews, walnuts and pecans.

Six times more of the antioxidant vitamin E than peanuts, a popular healthy snack. Vitamin E protects the cells in the body from free radical damage.

Seven times more folate than almonds, cashews and pecans. Folate helps tissues to grow and cells to work better.

More fiber than an apple, and a comparable amount to a serving of bran flake cereal. Fiber helps to lower cholesterol, and aids digestion, among other functions.

So, get crunching—and see if you’re inspired to do somersaults over Somersaults.

— Karen Hochman

More Healthy Snacking

100-Calorie Snack Cookbook, by Sally Sampson. More than 200 satisfying and wholesome alternatives to overpriced 100-calorie packages of cookies and chips. More information.